Fitbit

Fitbit Tracker

122 of 123 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of five stars A great little gadget easy and fun does everything it promises, August 5, 2010
By Ron Cronovich “Ron” (Kenosha, WI) See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) This review is from: Fitbit (Health and Beauty) NOTE: At the time I’m submitting this review, this page on shows fitbit is only available from some sellers for a high price. Don’t pay more than ninety nine plus s/h. You may be able to get fitbit for that price directly from fitbit or better still from r e i dot com.

I got my fitbit about six months ago and have been using it on and off (mostly on) since then. I’m happy with it and recommend it. It is an easy and fun way to track your activity levels and estimate calories burned, and it should attraction to fellow gadget lovers.

The device weighs under one half oz and clips securely to clothing. I am paranoid about losing stuff (justifiably so), so I keep mine in a little USB drive holder with a clip.

It has an accelerometer chip, like most smart phones and many iphones and other gadgets, which can measure its motion in three dimensions.

At any time throughout the day, you may be able to push the one little button on the fitbit to display an estimate of calories burned, steps taken, miles walked, and a graphic of a flower that’s bigger as you are more active.

When you are near your computer, input the included fitbit receiver into a free USB port, and the receiver will wirelessly gather data from your fitbit tracker, then send the data to the fitbit web site. You use this web site for most of your tracking and analysis. (The only software you load on your computer is a driver/client for the receiver that plugs into your USB port.)

I find fitbit correct for estimating my walking (number of steps and total distance), calories burned, and activity and intensity levels. While they are just estimates, they are pretty good estimates, and they take into account my age, height, and weight. As the data accumulates over time, you may be able to recognize trends and measure progress in your strength regime.

Some people complain that the fitbit system makes you use its web site rather than software for your computer. I really favor it this way. For one, the web site is very well intended and easy to use. Second, you do not have to worry about using up your hard drive space (an issue if you use a netbook, ipad, or older laptop), and you do not have to worry about downloading updates when the developers issue bug fixes or add new features these just show up at the web site without requiring any effort from the user. 3rd, this way keeps the cost down. 4th, you may be able to access the fitbit web site from any computer with an internet connection.

The web site shows graphs of your activity levels and calories burned during the day. At this web site, you may also enter particular actions you do (like bicycling, working out at the gym, etc). You must enter these manually, but it’s easy to do so and it is useful to have a record over time of the particular actions you do.

The web site also allows you to track your eating. I did not start using this feature till just newly I thought it could be too most of a annoy. But, I see now that the web site makes it easy. For example, as you start typing a food (whether from the grocery store or a chain restaurant), it will propose a bunch of near matches from its (extensive) database. You may be able to click on one of these near matches, and it will fill in all the nutritional information. I force myself to be honest and complete, when I break down and gorge on unhealthy comfort food. Keeping a record makes me aware of what and how much I eat, and keeps me honest. And I am less probably to order a desert after dinner if my log shows that I have already eaten some deserts this week.

You may also wear the fitbit tracker when you sleep (you slip it in a cloth wristband that comes in the fitbit package). In the morning, sync the data from the device to the fitbit web site, and it’ll keep a record of when you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep, how frequently you woke up throughout the night, and what time you woke up. It tells you your “sleep efficiency,” which I think is the time spent really sleeping as a of time spent in bed. I don’t find the sleep data as correct as the other data fitbit measures (like walking and movement amount while awake). As an example, it will say you took eight minutes to fall asleep when you know that you really took at least 20 minutes: if you lay still enough, fitbit thinks you are asleep. Still, I find the sleep data interesting and useful enough to keep wearing my fitbit to bed every night: with virtually no effort on my part fitbit keeps a record over the lasting of how much sleep I am to get and the quality of that sleep, if the measurements are somewhat noisy. This lets me to recognize trends, and if I get sick or feel tired throughout the day, I can get a sense of if it may be caused by not to get enough quality sleep.

The fitbit isn’t perfect and can not do everything. It can not tell when you are bicycling, or how hard you are working when you are bicycling. While sweat or rain should not hurt it, it is not waterproof and should not be worn when swimming. (I suspect if you put it in a 100 waterproof case while swimming, it would not measure your movement amount accurately).

But fitbit does not promise to do everything. It promises to do many things (like estimate how much you walk, how many calories you burn, record your movement amount at every time of day and let you recognize trends). And it does what it promises very well, in my experience. The device and the fitbit web site are designed and easy and fun to use, and fitbit totally lives up to my expectations.

From what I have read of other user reviews, my sense is that majority of people who are disappointed in the device had unrealistic or misinformed expectations when they bought it. My suggestion to you before you order is: visit the fitbit web site, read about what it can do, read the FAQ, and maybe google “fitbit review” and look for many reputable reviews (the WSJ has a good one). Then you’ll get a realistic sense of what the device can and can not do, so you may be able to make an informed choice. If you like what you see on the web site, I am pretty confident you’ll be pleased like me.

One last note: I ordered this directly from fitbit, because my favored merchants ( and REI) did not offer it still. I strongly recommend ordering from or REI and only if they have fitbit in stock. If you order directly from Fitbit, you will have to wait a long time to get it (they’re typically backordered) and you get only a two week return period. REI and have good return policies.

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126 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of five stars Fitbit success, March 10, 2010
By G. Stoddard “Greg S.” (Arizona, USA) See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: Fitbit (Health and Beauty) Got my Fitbit in January 2010, I’m using the online software to track my food intake and exercise. And for the 1st time I now know about my sleeping behavior and since I have been a sleepwalker since childhood I now get many indication of when that happens.

I have had NO software or linking issues/problems whatsoever. Never needed support. The device worked flawlessly right out of the box. I’m very happy with its performance and value. I use a newer Mac and the device installed as intended. I have also installed it on a PC also no problems at all.

You get out of the Fitbit what you put into it. The more data you enter the better picture you get as to your true calorie use and intake. Fitbit is a 3 axis accelerometer you wear to track your motion. Mine runs about a week on a charge and it wirelessly dumps it is data to the internet (if that computer is on) about every 15 minutes when I’m at home.

Reading the online community discuss the device it looks most of the users are female and there have been many lost in the toilet and lost in not known places. You may want to most likely not wear it like it appears to have been intended. Ladies wear it in the bra in the center. I wear mine on my wrist or in an inner shirt pocket at work. I have also been investigating using a knee brace and wearing it on the leg. The included velcro wrist carrier is secure and comfy, but most likely will not last constant wearing. I could like to see aftermarket sleeves for the fitbit. The way it’s intended, like an super miniature pocket pager looks to make it prone to coming off where you clip it, which is why so many people worked on alternative ways to wear it. For the best information, see the community pages on their website.

My biggest concern with it’s privacy. Since I’m entering my complete diet and exercise information I’m wondering what happens to that data and if it may fall into the wrong hands, could I be denied work or insurance? I wish there was a way to purchase the device namelessly so the internet data could also be anonymous. I expect the company will soon come up for sale and the new owner may not be as privacy minded.

UPDATE: April 2010. It appears the more away from your belt line this is worn, the less correct it’s. Wearing it on the wrist is only suited throughout sleep because the measurement of motion is exaggerated wearing it there, like it also could be wearing it on the shoe. The more away from your belt line it’s worn it over measures your activity. This may not be as much as a problem on the torso as it could be on the arms and legs.

Update: June 2010. My fitbit died when it made it is way into the laundry. I’m not going to replace it. I learned that my caloric content is still too high and exercise too low. There’s no more have to monitor my output, but a food diary could be a smart idea. I will look for an anonymous one online. I have heard they exist.

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52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of five stars I have been using this since early spring without ANY problems, December 7, 2010
By Dominique W See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) This review is from: Fitbit (Health and Beauty) I took a look at the FitBit this spring when it was clear that my ultra budget heart rate monitor wasn’t cutting it at the gym. Interference galore froze the poor thing. Something that’s quite painful for those of us.I hope it is not just me..obsessed by numbers. What is my Heart Rate? How many calories have I burned? Give me numbers and not just sweat!

I liked the precision of the BodyBugg and what it had to offer. I didn’t like the price. Call me cheap. No, really, call me cheap. I may have warranted saving up for it if it was not for the monthly fee obliged to use the web tools. That is like purchasing a car but having to pay extra to see the dashboard. Those two things should go hand in hand. Off the soapbox.

Enter the FitBit. A calorie tracker, pedometer, sleep tracker all in one. Pretty up there on the technology level still cheap. It is really a cute little thing without a cumbersome chest strap or arm band or anything else accentuating anything I do not want people looking at to start with. The bonus was that the web tools are FREE!!

The basics:

The fit bit is 2 inches long and about inch large. It seems a bit like a money clip. It is black with a fashionable still gender neutral aqua blue interior.

How it works

The FitBit uses 3D motion sensors alike to those used in the Wii. It has the capability to track steps, miles walked, calories burned, and sleep patterns. The info is automatically transmitted from the FitBit device through the base station and onto the user’s web site whenever the FitBit is inside 15 feet of the base station. Each Fitbit has a distinctive number so any FitBit can use any base station for transmission. It gives the user an idea of the daily total of calories expended and level of activity exerted throughout the day. With online tools it gives a historical view of this data. Food and activity logging online can help the user in losing, maintaining or gaining weight.

What the $99 fee includes:

The FitBit clip on device

Base Station/charger with cord that plugs into a USB port

Wrist band for sleep monitoring

An extra clip for use with thick belts.

A web site address to go to to download the free tracking software needed in order for the Base Station transmissions to happen. This is a needed step to use this product. It does not take long and it is easy to do. I managed to do this properly without blowing up my computer.

Shipping was extra and the product was sent by USPS Priority Mail.

Charging & Battery Life:

The FitBit will stay charged for roughly ten days. Charging is done of the base station. I typically stick it on there when I shower. The battery life may be seen from the web site. It takes about 90 minutes to completely charge the battery when it is completely worn out.

Data Storage:

The data that the Fitbit collects is stored in the device for ten days. The display data itself renews at midnight in the users time zone (which is set by the user online). The reset doesn’t delete any data not transmitted. It is just to make it more user friendly and economical. I generally hated clearing the data on my HRM so this feature is much appreciated.

Display

The fun stuff is all online. If the user is away from the base station, for work or travel, simply press the button on the FitBit and a pretty blue display will show calories burned, steps taken and miles walked. There’s also the image of a growing flower. The longer the stem, the more active the individual was that day. That’s a cutesy feature for a fast movement amount check.

Sleep feature

I love this feature. Press the button down for two seconds and the word “start ” appears. Then put the FitBit in the wrist holder, wrap it on the non dominant wrist and head to bed. In the morning press the button again for 2 seconds till “stop” appears. At the next data transmission, the web site will be updated with sleeping activity. Not only does the data tell you what time you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep, the total of time spent in bed, the real sleep time, but it also shows exactly what times you woke up and how frequently. The data then gives you a sleep efficiency . It is awesome. Particularly for someone like me who has had lifetime sleep issues. I thought it could be hard to remember to start and stop the sleep tracker but it is not. The wrist wrap is a good reminder.

Graphs, data and tracking

On the web site there’s a space to enter height, weight, gender, objectives and stride length. Stride length is easily calculated using the water test. Make a puddle of water on cement. Step in it with bare feet and walk forward. Measure the tip of the right big toe to the tip of the left on the footprints. Do this for some sets and average out the number of inches. Repeat the test with running. This helps the FitBit better count the number of steps taken and miles walked.

This interested for me. I walk in fast short steps so I generally figured I walked so many miles throughout the day. Um, not so much. I do take many of steps, 10,000+ on most days. But the short stride length makes it harder to hit the big mileage numbers.



The web site has lots of cool graphs and comparisons. These cover everything from activity levels to calorie spendings to weight changes. Lots of fun things to look at and help reach strength objectives. There are privacy features to hid most or your profile to pubic or forum friends.

Forums

The FitBit Forums are in their infancy now. There’s a decent total of participation. If I compared it to a party, I could say it could be like small bursts of quality conversations followed by short periods of silence. You will not miss out on too much if you do not check the major forums daily still most of what does get post is pretty good stuff.

There are groups set up on the site. This is an easy way to find other s with alike interests. It is also useful to be able to bounce ideas off others. Not to talk about the support this offers for weight loss or whatever strength objectives are made.

There is a nice touch added to the forums and that’s a suggestion forum to communicate things the developers should think about for future FitBit upgrades. It is nicer that replies from the founders are readily seen in this particular forum. These guys read what is suggested and they react. There’s comfort in this. This is a product that has developers who really care about the quality and satisfaction of their customers. To me, a strong selling point.



What it can not do:

It can not be used for swimming or in the shower. Nor should it be washed worn in any regions where it may get wet. Do not take this to an amusement park and wear it on a water ride. Be sensible.

It may not precisely track EVERY SINGLE thing you do. If you are wearing the FitBit in a shirt pocket and bicycling.It most likely is not going to pick up that activity with 100 accuracy.

It does not track heart rate. At 1st I has been bummed about this but when I am in the center of many butt kicking cardio, the last thing I want to do is throw off my groove to look at my FitBit. Though it could be nice if there was many kind of tracking that may be transmitted to my online profile but not viewed on the device itself. As an example, minimum & maximum heart rate and minutes in that zone. Things like that. I can see the graph in my head now.

Without the heart rate feature the calories burned are depending on height/weight/gender and not on cardio conditioning. This could possibly lead to some small inaccuracies. Though, those I have communicated with who use the FitBit in conjunction with a HRM (heart rate monitor) do get alike calorie burned readings on most actions.

It does not automatically track food. This is a “Duh”. But the user has to remember to go into the site and add the daily food intake. The site is so addicting that this most likely will not be a problem. This is the simplest it is ever been to see calories expended and consumed. Unless the user is WAY OFF on part sizes, this feature is close to flawless. If the calories burned are larger than the calories consumed weight loss will happen. If they’re close weight will stay stable. If intake is more than calories burned, get weight will happen. It is not a matter of subtracting the difference (unless you’re obsessed like me) it is simply a matter of seeing which number is bigger. The food tracking also makes it easier to change unhealthy eating behavior.

This is an excellent product. I’d purchase it again in a heartbeat. At the rate I lose things, I most likely will. My ONE HOPE is that reviewing data transmission and graphs remains a free opportunity for FitBit holders.

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